Bow sight



Feb. 15, 1966 R. c. RIVERS 3,234,651

BOW SIGHT Filed Sept. 24, 1963 Mum 27 RUSSELL C. RIVERS INVENTOR.

United States Patent Ofiice 3,234,651 Patented Feb. 15, 1966 3,234,651 BOW SIGHT Russell C. Rivers, 116 Main St., Boylston, Mass. Filed Sept. 24, 1963, Ser. No. 311,145 6 Claims. (Cl. 33-46) This invention relates to a bow sight and, more particularly, to apparatus arranged to assist an archer in striking a target with his arrow and, particularly in striking game during hunting.

In hunting with the bow and arrow it is almost always necessary to shoot quickly at variable ranges, so that careful aiming is not possible, as it is in ordinary target shooting. For that reason, a large number of sights have been developed in the past to assist the archer in making this quick shot more accurately. In general, however, these prior art sights have been quite complicated since they must be constructed to allow for a plu rality of ranges as well as adjustment for the effect of the wind that may be blowing in a certain area. The variety of ranges, by their very nature, makes it sometimes confusing for a quick selection on moving game. Usually, in hunting with the bow and arrow, however, the archer is moving through underbrush, trees and other natural obstacles. The action of branches, twigs and leaves on the bow sights of the prior art has caused them to catch in such and, therefore, to become quite useless in practical hunting expeditions. At the same time, the very nature of these sights has meant that they extend horizontally from the bow a considerable distance and obstruct the archers view of the game. These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.

It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide a bow sight having a multi-range sighting element that offers a minimum obstruction to viewing moving game.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a bow sight in which a plurality of range elements are mounted in a vertical row, this vertical row being movable laterally together to adjust for windage.

It is also an object to provide multi-range, multi-color sighting elements to aid the quick selection of the correct sighting element for a particular range.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a bow sigh-t for hunting which has a multi-range ability for sighting and a compensation for wind-age, the assemblage being constructed in such a manner as to present no difficulty to the archer in moving through underbrush and the like.

It is another object of the instant invention to provide a bow sight having a plurality of distance elements each of which may be readily adjustable in the field without tools.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a bow sight in which the sighting elements are not easily caught or knocked out of adjustment by contact with twigs, branches, and the like.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a bow sight which is simple in construction, which may be readily manufactured with inexpensive materials, and which is capable of a long life of useful service with a minimum of care.

With these and other objects in View, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.

The character of the invention, however, may be best understood by reference to one of its structural forms as illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bow sight incorporating the principles of the present invention, and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a portion of the invention taken on the line II-II of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1 which best shows the features of the invention, the bow sight, indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, is shown as consisting of a support 11 adapted to be fastened to the front or back of a bow 12 and having two arms 13 and 14 which extend laterally from the bow. Extending from the outer end of the arm 13 to the outer end of the arm 14 is a filament member 15 carrying a plurality of beads 16, 17, and 18.

The bow 12 is shown in the portion surrounding a handle 19 provided above the handle with a recess 21 permitting an area for the lane of the arrow (not shown). To one side of the recess is a flat surface 22 which faces toward the archer when the bow is used. The support 11 consists of a vertically elongated base member 23, a slide member 24, and a U-shaped member 25. The base member is adapted to be fastened to the how by means of screws 26 and 27 and is provided with two vertical tracks 28 and 29. The slide member 24 is shaped to fit in these tracks and to slide vertically in them. A thumb screw 31 is threaded through the center of the slide member 2-4 to lock it in place relative to the base member 23. Extending toward the archer from the outwardly facing surface of the slide member 24 are two abutments 32 and 33 having passages 34 and 35, respectivelly. The axis of these passages extend horizontally and transversely of the bow, and in the passages are slidably carried the arms 13 and 14 of the U-shaped member 25, these arms being joined by the bight 36 of the U-shaped member. A small thumb screw 37 extends through the abutment 32 into the passage 34 to engage the lock arm 13 of the U-shaped member in place. A similar thumb screw 38 is located on the abutment 33 to lock the arm 14 in place.

The outer end of the arm 14 is provided with a small ball head 39 having a small vertical passage therethrough through which the filament member 15 passes and is tied around the neck adjacent the head. Similarly, the outer end of the arm 14 is provided with a head 41 having a vertical passage through which the filament member passes; the filament member is wrapped around the neck of the arm adjacent the head and tied in place.

Referring now to FIG. 2 which shows in detail the manner in which the bead 16 is mounted on the filament 15, it can be seen that the head 16 is made of metal, plastic, glass, or a similar material and is provided with a thin vertical bore 42. The filament member 15 is preferably made of nylon; the nylon selected should be of a transparent variety and quite thin, so that it can hardly be seen by the eye, particularly when one is observing game a considerable distance beyond it. The filament passes through the "head in a rather peculiar manner. It passes upwardly through the passage 42, extends around the outer periphery of the bead 16 at one side of the bore 42, and then passes upwardly through the bore once more. The filament member 15 is normally quite tight and is held tightly between the arms 13 and 14. As a matter of fact, the spring in the arms 13 and 14 is used to keep it tight, the final knot in tying the filament member to either the head 39 or the head 41 being made while the two arms are compressed toward one another. Then, when they are released, the springback effect pulls the filament member very tightly. Each filament locks itself around the beads 16, 17, and 18 so that they cannot be moved. In order to adjust them, however, it is only necessary to compress the arms 13 and 14 toward one another at which time it is possible to move one of the beads, such as the head 16. The other beads 17 and 18 remain in place, however, because of the nature of the materials.

The operation of the invention will now be readily understood in view of the above description. The beads 16, 17, and 18 can be set for the various distances which the hunter feels he will encounter during a days hunting. For instance, he might set the bead 18 for 45 yards, the bead 17 for 30 yards, and the bead 16 for 15 yards. Adjustments of these beads may be made by trial and error to compensate for idiosyncrasies of the particular archer or of the arr-ow which he is using. Once these beads have been set, it is possible, then, to adjust the sight to take the winding into account. This is very readily done by loosening the thumb screws 37 and 38 and moving the U-shaped member 25 laterally one way or the other to compensate for the amount of wind on the particular day in which the sight is being used. Furthermore, it is possible to adjust the whole assemblage together by loosening the set screw 31 and sliding the slide member 24 up and down on the base member 23 between the tracks 28 and 29. As has been stated above, it is possible to adjust one bead relative to the others merely by relieving the tension in the filament member 15 by pressing the arms 13 and 14 toward one another by using the hand.

Once the bow sight has been adjusted, its use is quite easy. The arrow is placed in a shelf at the top of the handle 19 in the recess 21 and is drawn back in the usual way to a contact point on the ear or cheek of the archer. At that time, he lines up the particular head with the game. If the game is 15 yards away, he lines up, for instance, the bead 16 with the game. This takes care of the trajectory of the arrow as well as the lateral windage. Because the filament member 15 is practically transparent and the beads 16, 17, and 18 are very dark, the beads appear to be suspended in open space, and the whole assemblage does not interfere with the archers view of the animal. Because of the nature of the beads being locked on the flexible member 15 and so on, this apparatus is not readily knocked out of adjustment by engagement by twigs and leaves. It is a simple construction that is not easily damaged by a hunter moving through the woods and yet it is capable of the finest adjustment that could be desired.

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and construction of the invention without departing from the material spirit thereof. It is not, however, desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described, but it is desired to include all such as properly come within the scope claimed.

The invention having been thus described, what is claimed as new and desired \to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A bow sight, comprising (a) a sup-port adapted to be fastened to a bow, the

support having a pair of arms whose outer ends lie in a generally vertical plane when the bow is in use,

(b) a filament member extending between the said ends of the arms, and- (c) at least one bead located on the filament member,

wherein the head has a diametrical bore and the fi1a ment member consists of a strand of nylon, the filament member passing through the bore, looping around the outer surface of the bead on one side of the bore, and then passingthrough the bore once more.

2. A bow sight, comprising (a) a support adapted to be fastened to the bow, the

support having a pair of arms whose outer ends lie in a generally vertical plane when the bow is in use,

(b) a filament member extending between the said ends of the arms, and

(c) at least one bead located on the filament member,

the bead being readily adjustable along the filament member, but remaining fixed in a position of adjustment despite substantial forces tending to move it out of such position, the filament member being normally taut, but capable of being loosened, the position of the bead being adjustable only in the latter condition.

3. A bow sight, comprising (a) a support adapted to be fastened to the how, the

support having a pair of arms whose outer ends lie in a generally vertical plane when the bow is in use, the support consisting of an elongated base member adapted to be fastened directly to the bow and having a track, a slide member movable on occasion in the track and a U-shaped member supported by the slide member, the last-named member providing the said arms, the slide member being provided with two spaced abutments, each having a transverse passage therethrough, one arm of the U-shaped member extending through each of the abutment passages,

(b) a filament member extending between the said ends of the arms, and

(c) at least one bead located on the filament member.

4. A bow sight as recited in claim 3, wherein the arms of the U-shaped member are slidable through the abutment passages to adjust the position of the bead relative to the bow to compensate for'windage.

5. A bow sight as recited in claim 2, wherein the beads are of contrasting colors.

6. A bow sight as recited in claim 3, wherein a plurality of beads are located on the filament member, each bead being positioned for use with a target located at a designated distance.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 666,415 1/1901 Fall 3364 2,332,080 10/ 1943' Howe 3346.4 2,741,067 4/1956 Cox 4344.9 2,875,522 3/1959 Merrill et a1. 33-464 3,136,063 6/1964 Stebbins 33-46.4

LOUIS R. PRINCE, Primary Examiner.

ISAAC LISANN, Examiner. PQNN MCGIEHAN, Assistant Examiner, 

1. A BOW SIGHT, COMPRISING (A) A SUPPORT ADAPTED TO BE FASTENED TO A BOW, THE SUPPORT HAVING A PAIR OF ARMS WHOSE OUTER ENDS LIE IN A GENERALLY VERTICAL PLANE WHEN THE BOW IS IN USE, (B) A FILAMENT MEMBER EXTENDING BETWEEN THE SAID ENDS OF THE ARMS, AND (C) AT LEAST ONE BEAD LOCATED ON THE FILAMENT MEMBER, WHEREIN THE BEAD HAS A DIAMETRICAL BORE AND THE FILAMENT MEMBER CONSISTS OF A STRAND OF NYLON, THE FILAMENT MEMBER PASSING THROUGH THE BORE, LOOPING AROUND THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE BEAD ON ONE SIDE OF THE BORE, AND THEN PASSING THROUGH THE BORE ONCE MORE. 